{"id":77624,"date":"2020-07-19T14:03:07","date_gmt":"2020-07-19T11:03:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=77624"},"modified":"2020-07-19T14:03:07","modified_gmt":"2020-07-19T11:03:07","slug":"the-universality-of-chosenness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-universality-of-chosenness\/","title":{"rendered":"The Universality Of Chosenness\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"77624","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":45148,"related_cahpter":"527","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"God\u2019s infinite love is not exhausted by us and our experience\u00a0\r\n","content":"

In today’s world, every person and every religion is fully exposed to every other one. As a result, the full humanity of all has become an experienced emotional reality. The outcome is a growing commitment to the equality of every person – no matter skin color, gender or religion. Thus the powerful shift in public opinion from accepting racist treatment of African Americans to repugnance at their mistreatment, and widespread calls for systemic reform to eliminate racism.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a growing moral consensus that all humans are, in the Torah\u2019s language, created in the image of God. Thus all are entitled to be treated with equal dignity. But how do we reconcile this universal equality with the classic Jewish belief that we are special because we are chosen? How can our commitment to the Torah as the word of God allow us to give equal dignity to non-Jews and their religions?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The answer is in today’s chapter, one of the most remarkable passages in Tanach – a teaching thousands of years ahead of its time:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSays the Lord: \u2018Are you not as [precious] to me as the children of Ethiopians, children of Israel? True, I brought Israel up From the land of Egypt, But also the Philistines from Caphtor [Crete] and the Arameans from Kir\u2019\u201d (9:7).<\/span><\/p>\n

We understand that we are \u2018chosen\u2019 because we have experienced God\u2019s love: a loving God took us out of slavery and degradation, into the full dignity of freedom, to live in our own homeland.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Amos confirms that we are beloved by God. However, he tells us that we have had the same experience as other people – because God loves them no less. We are beloved, chosen, but we are not alone. The Ethiopians [\u201cchildren of Ethiopians,\u201d just as we are “children of Israel”] are also beloved and chosen by God.<\/span><\/p>\n

And so were the Philistines. They were brought up from Crete to live a life of dignity – in the Land of Israel! Similarly, God took the Arameans from their land to a good life in Aram.<\/span><\/p>\n

We have experienced God\u2019s love and deliverance. But God\u2019s infinite love is not exhausted by us and our experience. It is surely no coincidence that Amos mentions Philistines (chief antagonists of Judah) and Aram (major enemies of Israel). If God loves and redeems our biggest enemies, then we can rest assured that God will redeem all the nations of the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Amos teaches us that, in our Torah, we don\u2019t have an exclusive truth that invalidates every other one. Rather, we have the record and the experience of God\u2019s redeeming love for us. That God extends this love equally to others, says Amos, should comfort us. Our experience is not an illusion, or self-delusion, but one that others have had and is universally true.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Amos teaches us that Ethiopians and Philistines are beloved and redeemed images of God. Equal, and equally precious. From this fact, we should draw comfort and assurance that so are we.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":77625,"id":77625,"title":"amos9-chosen","filename":"amos9-chosen.png","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/amos9-chosen.png","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-universality-of-chosenness\/amos9-chosen\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"amos9-chosen","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":77624,"date":"2020-07-19 11:02:47","modified":"2020-07-19 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